Entertainment

by Dana R. Butler

When it comes to making a party, gala or wedding come to life, it’s hard to dispute the power of live entertainment.

Terri Fisher’s 5 Star Talent & Entertainment can help clients book more than 1,300 top quality entertainers, including local bands, national acts, cultural acts, dancers, classical artists, family entertainers, DJs, spinners and emcees, comedians and speakers. They also can provide fully produced shows with lighting, sets and casinos. Requested trends popping up this year have included aerialists and acrobats, dueling pianos, creative walk-around performers in unusual costumes, unique room lighting and ice sculptures for serving specialty drinks.

“The demand for entertainment at all kinds of events is exploding, and that’s exciting,” says Fisher. She has fulfilled requests for cross-cultural entertainment options, DJs with live musicians, electric violinists, Cirque-style entertainment and more. Fisher says the company’s wedding business has increased 200 percent, and wedding clients are planning a year out. Yet clients and wedding couples are still definitely watching their bottom lines. “They want us to provide more and more exciting entertainment for a competitive price,” she says. “And that’s what we do our best to deliver.”

Fisher says the key is to approach every event with imagination, enthusiasm, flexibility, professionalism and meticulous attention to detail. “Having the resources—a large pool of talented artists to choose from—is critical to serving clients wanting successful events,” she adds. “It’s important that our pricing is fair, that we provide meticulous attention to detail, follow-up and that our artists are exceptionally reliable. All of these elements work together to create a magical experience for our clients and their guests.”

Another staple in the Denver entertainment business is Jerry Barnett and his Moments Notice Entertainment, which has been providing party bands, combos and a wide variety of other entertainment options for more than three decades. Barnett says, “The event experience happens the second the party begins from lighting to decor to non-stop entertainment.” Barnett cites a variety of fun happenings from the past year that were made better with Moments Notice entertainers, such as a Bollywood-themed benefit; destination weddings in Jackson Hole, Aspen and Phoenix; plus a 65th birthday party in Little Rock, Arkansas. Like Fisher, Barnett is seeing DJs being integrated into bands and live musicians performing alongside DJs as some of the top trends in entertainment bookings this year.

Starkey Productions also incorporates live acts into the events it produces. The company is now part of Dance Trax Entertainment and Starkey Theatrix, a theater division that produced six full musical productions at Parker Arts Center and Lone Tree Arts Center, and they have a children’s theater school. They provide event services all over the world in addition to here at home.

Owner Chris Starkey says, “We are only as good as our last event. Our in-house talent and production team need to uphold the quality control that we want represented on every event. If that does not happen, we leave our business exposed and are not always set up for success.”

If you caught any of the Biennial of the Americas events in Civic Center Park, then you’ve likely had a taste of what Starkey can do. “We had the rare opportunity to represent the city as 10,000 guests from around the world joined us in Denver for three days of celebratory events.”

Starkey says that after 13 years in the business, he has stopped trying to predict patterns or trends. “There is no rhyme or reason anymore as to when and what comes in,” he says. “We are just thankful that it still comes in and we are able to assist our valued clients!”

Dana R. Butler is a Denver-based freelance editor and writer.

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